Kyle Larson

Kyle Larson
Kyle Miyata Larson (born July 31, 1992) is an American professional auto racing driver and entrepreneur. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Hendrick Motorsports, part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the No. 10 Chevrolet Camaro for Kaulig Racing and the No. 17 Camaro for HMS, and part-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, driving the No. 7 Chevrolet Silverado for Spire Motorsports. Before and throughout his stock car racing career, Larson has been highly successful in dirt track racing, with wins in countless prestigious events including the Kings Royal, Knoxville Nationals, and the Chili Bowl Nationals. He also raced in many other forms of racing as an overall winner of the 24 Hours of Daytona sports car race, having won the event with Chip Ganassi Racing in 2015. Larson was named one of NASCAR's 75 Greatest Drivers in 2023.
Racing career
Early career
Born on July 31, 1992, in Elk Grove, California, Larson attended his first race with his parents a week after his birth. He began racing at the age of seven in outlaw karts in Northern California. As a teenager, he raced open-wheel cars, including the United States Auto Club (USAC) midget, Silver Crown and sprint cars, competing for Keith Kunz Motorsports and Hoffman Racing with Toyota backing; During his early career in USAC, a series official gave Larson the nickname "Yung Money" in recognition of his talent. Larson also raced in World of Outlaws sprint cars. His first sprint car race win came at Placerville Speedway where he was one of the youngest drivers to ever compete. He won the 2011 4-Crown Nationals at Eldora Speedway, winning in all three types of USAC cars in a single night, only the second driver in history to accomplish the feat. He won two silver crown races that season and was named the 2011 Rookie of the Year. He holds the sprint car track record at Ocean Speedway in Watsonville, California, in 2010. In 2012, he won six USAC National Midget races including the Turkey Night Grand Prix. Even during his stock car career, Larson continued racing open-wheel cars for midweek races in addition to going to New Zealand in some off-seasons to race.
Stock cars
NASCAR K&N Pro Series and ARCA
While Larson expressed some interest in IndyCar racing, he was signed for the 2012 racing season by Earnhardt Ganassi Racing (EGR) as part of the team's driver development program. In February 2012, Larson made his first start in a full bodied stock car at the Pete Orr Memorial Orange Blossom 100 at New Smyrna Speedway where he led only the final lap and won the race. A week later, he won again at the speedway during the World Series of Asphalt. On June 9, 2012, Larson scored his first NASCAR K&N Pro Series East career win at Gresham Motorsports Park. Larson also scored his second K&N Pro Series East win at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. On June 15, 2012, Larson made his ARCA Racing Series debut at Michigan International Speedway in the No. 6 car for Eddie Sharp Racing where he finished 13th. On November 3rd, 2012, Larson won the 2012 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Championship with 2 wins and 12 top tens in 14 races, overcoming the five wins of Corey LaJoie (son of two-time Busch Series champion Randy). Larson was also named the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Rookie of the Year. On June 7, 2014, Larson won his first ARCA win at Pocono Raceway from the pole.
NASCAR Truck Series
In late June 2012, Larson made his Camping World Truck Series debut at Kentucky Speedway in the No. 4 Chevrolet Silverado for Turner Motorsports where he finished 10th.
On April 14, 2013, Larson scored his first Truck Series win at Rockingham Speedway in a close finish with Joey Logano. During the celebration, Larson performed donuts without his steering wheel on, a practice he had acquired when racing go karts. The celebration prompted NASCAR to request him to keep it attached, regarding safety concerns because Larson would not have much control of the truck without the steering wheel.
In 2016, Larson joined GMS Racing to drive the No. 24 truck for the Martinsville race. At Martinsville, Larson led 79 laps and finished 4th. At the Eldora Speedway, Larson's tire went down on lap 51 and was penalized for intentionally bringing out the caution. He spent 20 laps a lap down before getting the free pass and went on to score his second career Truck Series win after holding off Christopher Bell.
In 2020, Larson announced he would be re-joining GMS Racing to drive the No. 24 truck for the Homestead race to pursue a bounty offered by Kevin Harvick to full-time Cup drivers to beat Kyle Busch. Following his suspension from NASCAR, Larson was released from the team.
In 2021, Larson joined Niece Motorsports to drive the No. 44 truck for the new Bristol dirt race. At Bristol dirt race, Larson started 28th after the heat races were cancelled due to rain and ended up in 35th after he was involved in a wreck on lap 100.
In 2023, Larson drove the No. 7 truck for Spire Motorsports at North Wilkesboro where he started 8th, won stage 2 and went on to score his 3rd career Truck Series win after leading 138 of 252 laps.
NASCAR Xfinity Series
On February 2013, it was announced that Larson will race full-time in the Nationwide Series to drive the No. 32 Chevrolet Camaro for Turner Scott Motorsports. On the last lap in the DRIVE4COPD 300 at Daytona International Speedway, he was involved in a violent crash when his car got caught onto the right side of Brad Keselowski's car and then hit the outside wall. At the same time, he was hit in the right rear by Brian Scott which sent his car airborne and hit a crossover gate and pierced the catchfence, completely ripped off the front end of his car. Larson came across the start-finish line in 13th. He was unharmed, but the debris hurt 28 spectators in the stands, two of which were in critical condition. However, there were no deaths. Despite not scoring a win, Larson was named the 2013 Nationwide Series Rookie of the Year and became the first Asian-American and first Drive for Diversity participant to win a Rookie of the Year Award in one of NASCAR's national touring series.
Larson returned to the Nationwide Series in 2014 to run part-time in the No. 42 car for Turner Scott Motorsports. On March 22, Larson won his first ever Nationwide Series win at Auto Club Speedway after holding off Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick. In victory lane, Larson stated, "Those last 11, 12 laps were the longest laps of my life. I've been so close to winning so many times, but the fashion we did it in was extra special." Larson once again celebrated by doing burnouts in the infield without a steering wheel. On the same season, Larson earned his second Nationwide Series win at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
In 2015, Larson returned to race part-time again in the Xfinity Series for HScott Motorsports. At Homestead, Larson scored his third career Xfinity Series win after holding off Austin Dillon, and the first win for HScott Motorsports.
In 2022, Larson drove the No. 17 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports at Road America where he won the first two stages and led the most laps, but eventually lost to Ty Gibbs on the final lap and finished second. At Watkins Glen, Larson took the lead after William Byron and Ty Gibbs spun together at the inner loops while battling for the lead with 5 laps to go and went on to score his 13th career Xfinity Series win.
In 2023, Larson drove the No. 10 car for Kaulig Racing at Darlington where he and John Hunter Nemechek battled for the lead on the final lap and the two made contact off of turn 4 that resulted Nemechek spun and crashed into the safer barrier and Larson went on to score his 14th career win.
NASCAR Cup Series
Phoenix Racing
2013
On August 27, 2013, The Charlotte Observer reported that Larson will drive the No. 42 car for Chip Ganassi Racing in the Sprint Cup Series starting in the 2014 season and would compete for the Rookie of the Year honors. The deal was officially announced on August 30. On October 1, it was announced that Larson would make his Sprint Cup Series debut at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the No. 51 car for Phoenix Racing to prepare for his rookie season. In his Cup Series debut, Larson started 21st and finished 37th after an engine failure on lap 247. Larson made his second Cup Series start at Martinsville Speedway where he finished 42nd after another engine failure.
Chip Ganassi Racing
2014: Rookie Season
In his Daytona 500 debut, Larson started 16th and got into the wall twice and he spun out on lap 22. Later in the night race, Larson got wrecked by another rookie contender Austin Dillon that triggered a 7-car wreck on lap 163 and finished 38th. At Auto Club Speedway, Larson restarted 10th on the final restart and finished 2nd to Kyle Busch, his career best finish. At Richmond, Larson recorded a speed of . After qualifying was rained out, Larson started first based on being the fastest in practice. During the race, he was spun out by Clint Bowyer on lap 1 and later finished 16th. Larson had a very impressive run at Pocono Raceway where he ran in the top ten the entire race and finished fifth.
At Michigan, Larson spun out on lap 7 while coming off at turn 2. Later in the race, he made a block on one of his strong supporters Tony Stewart while trying to go for the lead and the block damaged Stewart's grille. In response, Stewart tried to retaliate during a yellow-flag period. When told that Stewart was mad at him for the block, Larson shrugged it off replying "Tony being Tony, i guess. I was pretty tight on whoever was inside of me on the restart and i was looking in my mirror and saw him juke to the right so i juked to the right and he hit me and i don't know, he was just trying to teach me a lesson, i'm guessing." Larson would finish 8th.
Before the Sonoma race, Stewart warned Larson, angrily saying "He'll learn not to block me anytime soon." During the Coke Zero 400, Larson was involved in a big wreck on lap 21 and finished 36th. Larson earned his first Cup Series pole at Pocono where he set the track record with a lap speed of . He finished 11th in the race. Larson missed his chance to make the Chase. After the conclusion of the 2014 season, Larson earned the Sprint Cup Series Rookie of the Year award with his statistics being higher than other rookie seasons in history, such as those of Richard Petty and Jeff Gordon.
2015
Larson began the 2015 season with a DNF in the Daytona 500 where he finished 34th. Larson scored Top-10 finishes at Las Vegas and Phoenix. During an autograph session at Martinsville Speedway, Larson fainted and was hospitalized. He was replaced by Regan Smith. Two days later, Larson was released from the hospital with a diagnosis of dehydration as being the cause of the faint. Larson returned in the Duck Commander 500 at Texas where he finished 25th.
Larson earned the pole for the Quaker State 400 at Kentucky Speedway after qualifying was canceled due to rain. During the Kentucky race, Larson's tire went down on lap 221 and finished 35th. After a 12th-place finish at Richmond, Larson failed to make the Chase. During the caution laps in the Bank of America 500 at Charlotte, Larson and Kyle Busch both collided at the entrance of pit road which ended Larson's chances of winning and finished 21st.
2016
Larson started out the 2016 season with a seventh-place finish at Daytona, his first Top-10 and first non-DNF. At Kansas, Larson was running 3rd before he was caught up in a wreck with Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano, and Brad Keselowski on lap 242 and finished 35th. At Dover, Larson and Matt Kenseth were battling for the lead during the closing laps and Larson finished 2nd. Afterwards, Larson stated, "Matt Kenseth, in my eyes, is the cleanest racer out there. I didn't want to drive him dirty because he always races me clean. Looking back, I'd do stuff different but my time is coming."
In the Sprint Showdown, Larson battled with rookie contender Chase Elliott for the win in the final segment. While the two made contact as they approached the start/finish line, Larson beat Elliott to lock himself into the All-Star Race for the first time. During the All-Star Race, Larson took the lead on the final restart, but was caught by Joey Logano and hit the wall with two laps to go and finished 16th.
At the 2016 Pure Michigan 400, Larson scored his first ever Sprint Cup Series win after holding off Chase Elliott. The win also qualified him into the Chase for the first time in his career. In his first Chase appearance, Larson finished 18th at Chicagoland and earned a 10th-place finish at New Hampshire. He was eliminated in the Round of 16 after finishing 25th at Dover.
2017
Larson took the lead on the final lap in the Daytona 500 but ran out of fuel and finished 12th. After 3 runner-up finishes at Atlanta, Las Vegas and Phoenix, Larson moved up to 1st in the standings by 13-points over Chase Elliott. At the Auto Club 400, Larson scored his second career Cup Series win from the pole and increasing his points lead. Following a 17th-place finish at Martinsville Speedway, Larson maintained a four-point lead in the standings. In the 2017 O'Reilly Auto Parts 500 at Texas, Larson rebounded from struggles early to finish second. At Michigan, Larson led 96 laps and earned his third career Cup Series win. At the Kentucky race, Larson started at the rear of the field after he was unable to set a qualifying time as he was stuck in an inspection. He finished second to Martin Truex Jr, but lost his points lead in the standings when he was penalized 35 points for an improper rear brake cooling assembly. Crew chief Chad Johnston was suspended for three races and Tony Lunders took his place.
A week later, Larson won the pole for the Loudon's Overton's 301, but was forced to surrender it to Truex after failing post-qualifying inspection for an unapproved rear deck fin lid. He finished second in the race after starting 39th. Larson earned his fourth career win at Michigan and his 3rd consecutive Michigan win after he made a four-wide pass for the lead on a final restart with two laps to go. Larson earned his fifth career win at Richmond (and his first win that is not a two-mile track) in the final race of the regular season.
During the Round of 16, Larson scored Top 5 finishes at Chicagoland, New Hampshire and Dover that advanced him to the Round of 12. At Kansas, Larson's championship hopes went away when his engine blew up on lap 72, resulted in a dismal 39th-place finish. After being eliminated, Larson's bad luck continued the next 3 races where he finished 37th at Martinsville and Texas, both due to crashes, and a last-place finish at Phoenix after an engine failure. Larson rebounded in the season finale at Homestead where he finished 3rd. On November 29, 2017, Larson was named the Mobil 1 Driver of the Year.
2018
Despite being winless throughout the 2018 season, Larson made it to the Playoffs by staying consistent with five second-place finishes, eight Top 5's, and 13 Top 10's. In the Round of 16, Larson finished second to Brad Keselowski at Las Vegas, his sixth runner-up finish of the season, and earned a 7th-place finish at Richmond. During the Charlotte Roval race, Larson was involved in a multi-car wreck on a late restart that also included playoff contenders Brad Keselowski and Kyle Busch. Larson's car was heavily damaged as a result of the wreck but Larson was still able to advance to the Round of 12 after finishing 25th.
He experienced further bad luck at the Talladega fall race when a right front tire blew and spun out on lap 105. After finishing 11th at Talladega, the No. 42 team was docked 10 driver and 10 owner points after the team violated the damaged vehicle policy by using metal tabs instead of fasteners and/or tape to repair the torn right front fender. Larson was eliminated in the Round of 12 after the Kansas fall race. Larson finished the season ninth in the points standings, the highest of the winless drivers in 2018 along with a third consecutive Top 10 points finish.
2019
Before the start of the 2019 season, Larson lost his primary sponsor DC Solar, whose headquarters had been raided by the FBI. Larson started out the season with a 7th-place finish at Daytona, his first Top 10 of the season. On February 19, 2019, McDonald's announced it would serve as a primary sponsor for Kyle Larson throughout the 2019 season. At Atlanta, Larson led over 100 laps before he was penalized for speeding on pit road which sent him to the back of the field and finished 12th.
On February 26, Larson sparked controversy on the NBC Sports segment Splash & Go! with host Rick Allen when he jokingly implied that Hendrick Motorsports starts "cheating and finding some speed" a couple of months into the start of a season. He later apologized to Rick Hendrick for his comments. On the final lap in the GEICO 500 at Talladega, Larson was involved in a major accident when his car went airborne and rolled over multiple times. He was uninjured and was credited with a 24th-place finish.
On May 18, Larson won the Monster Energy Open to transfer into the All-Star Race. Later that night, he scored his first All-Star win and became the third Cup driver to win both the Monster Energy Open and the All-Star race. After a second-place finish at Darlington, Larson clinched his spot in the playoffs for the fourth straight year despite no wins.
In the Round of 12, Larson ended his 75-race winless streak at Dover where he scored his sixth career win to lock himself into the Round of 8. At Talladega, Larson finished 39th after getting involved in a big crash on lap 108 that left him with a fractured lower rib. Despite finishing 4th at Phoenix, Larson was eliminated after the Round of 8. At Homestead, Larson finished 40th after an engine failure on lap 209. He finished the season sixth in the points standings, his career-best to date.
2020 and suspension
Larson began the 2020 season with a tenth-place finish in the Daytona 500. During the Auto Club 400, Larson got turned into the turn 1 wall by Denny Hamlin, relegated him to a 21st-place finish. When the season was placed on hold after four races due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Larson was seventh in the points standings.
On April 13, 2020, Larson was indefinitely suspended by Chip Ganassi Racing without pay after he used a racial slur during an iRacing event the day before. Shortly after Ganassi's announcement, NASCAR also suspended Larson indefinitely and ordered him to complete sensitivity training before he is allowed to race again. Larson would also be suspended by the World of Outlaws, but his suspension had lifted prior to their return to racing. Multiple corporations such as McDonald's, Credit One Bank, and Chevrolet also terminated their sponsorship of Larson. The following day, CGR fired Larson. Matt Kenseth replaced Larson in the No. 42 car for the rest of the 2020 season.
In October 2020, after months of inactivity on social media, Larson posted an essay on his website, apologizing for using the slur and denying that it was representative of who he was. In the statement, Larson said that when racing overseas, he encountered people who used the word regularly. He accepted accountability for his actions, including his suspension and dismissal from CGR, and said that although he finished the sensitivity training, he did more than what was required of him to change his behavior; for instance, he went to Minnesota after George Floyd was murdered and participated in a variety of classes to learn more on the African-American community.
The statement also said that some of the people in his career, including Ganassi, kept in touch with him during his rehabilitation in which convinced him to have hope in saving his career. Larson also said that he hopes his setback "was a lesson for everyone," and was in the process of seeking reinstatement to the Cup Series. In mid-October, it was reported that Larson officially applied for reinstatement. On the same month, it was announced that NASCAR had reinstated Larson's competition privileges effective on January 1, 2021.
Hendrick Motorsports
2021: First championship
On October 28, 2020, it was announced that Hendrick Motorsports signed Larson to a multi-year deal to drive the No. 5 car starting in the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season. At the time of the announcement, it was also announced that the No. 5 car was not sponsored yet, though Hendrick announced that he would self-sponsor the car through his HendrickCars.com and NationsGuard companies until they found long-term sponsors. It was also announced later on that, although Hendrick normally did not allow their drivers to race anywhere other than their NASCAR team, the team negotiated a clause in the contract allowing Larson to continue racing dirt races, provided that he focused primarily on the Cup program.
Larson began his 2021 season with a 10th-place finish at the Daytona 500. At Las Vegas, Larson scored his seventh career Cup Series win and his first win with HMS after leading 103 of 267 laps. He had finished second nine times on 1.5-mile tracks prior to his victory.
In the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte, Larson dominated the race where he led 327 of 400 laps on his way to his second win of the season. Larson's victory was also the 269th career Cup victory for Hendrick Motorsports, surpassing Petty Enterprises for the most Cup victories as a race team in NASCAR history. In the Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway, Larson swept both stages and scored his 3rd win of the season after leading 57 laps and his first road course win. A week later at Texas, Larson earned his second All-Star win from the pole and became the 9th driver to win the All-Star Race more than once. He also became the 8th driver in NASCAR Cup Series history to win the Coca-Cola 600 and the All-Star race in the same season. Larson earned his 10th career win at Nashville after leading 264 of 300 laps and his third consecutive win (All-Star races, as they are not points-paying, are not included).
In the doubleheader at Pocono Raceway, Larson took the lead from his teammate Alex Bowman with 4 laps to go and almost won his 4th straight race until the left front tire went down and hit the turn 3 wall and Bowman end up winning the race while Larson finished 9th. The next day, despite resorting to a backup car as a result of the incident, Larson rebounded to finish 2nd to Kyle Busch after a fuel gamble.
During at Road America, Larson was running 4th before he was spun out by Alex Bowman with 6 laps to go and would finish 16th. He finished 7th at New Hampshire, the highest placing Chevrolet in the field. At Watkins Glen, Larson scored his 5th win of the season, a career high, after holding off his teammate Chase Elliott. After the Watkins Glen race, Larson and Denny Hamlin were tied for the points lead in the regular season standings. Following the 2021 Coke Zero Sugar 400, Larson clinched the regular season championship by 28-points over Hamlin.
At Darlington, Larson led 156 laps but finished 2nd to Denny Hamlin. Following a 6th-place finish at Richmond, Larson was automatically locked into the Round of 12 after earning stage points during the race. At Bristol, Larson led 175 laps and went on to score his 6th win of the season after he took the lead from Kevin Harvick with 4 laps to go. His win would somewhat be overshadowed by an altercation between Harvick and Chase Elliott after the race due to an on-track incident.
In the Round of 12, Larson finished 10th at Las Vegas. During the 2021 Bank of America Roval 400, Larson's car suffered battery and alternator belt issues but the pit crew was able to change the battery and fix the alternator belt during the caution. On the final restart, Larson restarted 2nd and would go on to score his 7th win of the season. Larson became the first driver in NASCAR Cup Series history to win three different road courses in the same season and also became the first driver since Kasey Kahne in 2006 to sweep both Charlotte races.
In the Round of 8, Larson won in a dominating fashion in the 2021 Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500 at Texas where he scored his 8th win of the season to secure a spot in the Championship 4. The following week, Larson earned his 9th win of the season in the Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas and became the first driver since Dale Earnhardt in 1987 to win three straight races twice in the same season.
In the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race at Phoenix, Larson started on the pole and won stage 2. He scored his tenth win of the season and became the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series Champion. He became the first driver to have 10 wins and a championship in the same season since Jimmie Johnson did it in 2007 season. Larson ended his 2021 championship season with 10 wins, 18 stage wins, 20 top fives, 26 top tens, 2,581 laps led, and an average finish of 9.1.
2022
Larson started out the season by winning the pole for the 2022 Daytona 500. At Daytona, Larson was involved in a crash on lap 192 and ended up in 32nd. A week later at Auto Club Speedway, Larson scored his first win of the season and his second career victory at the track. During the Sonoma race, Larson's No. 5 car lost a tire on lap 84. As a result, crew chief Cliff Daniels was suspended for the next four races. Kevin Meendering, who served as a crew chief for Jimmie Johnson during the 2019 season, filled in for Cliff.
At Watkins Glen, Larson scored his 18th career win and his second consecutive Watkins Glen win after he took the lead from his teammate Chase Elliott on the final restart. During the 2022 Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona, Larson's car suffered engine issues on lap 15 and ended up in 37th. At the Southern 500, Larson's car suffered another engine issues earlier in the race and Larson spun out on lap 193. He would finish in 12th. On September 16, 2022, HMS announced that Larson had signed a multi-year contract extension to remain with the team through 2026.
Larson was eliminated from the Round of 12 after finishing 35th at Charlotte Roval. At Las Vegas, Larson and Bubba wrecked down the frontstretch on Lap 94 after the two made contact off of turn 4 in which also collected Christopher Bell. During the caution, Wallace confronted Larson in a shoving match. Larson would end up in 35th. A week later, he won at Homestead after leading 199 of 267 laps. Larson finished the 2022 season seventh in the points standings.
2023
Larson began the 2023 season with a 18th-place finish in the 2023 Daytona 500. On March 15, 2023, the No. 5 was served an L2 penalty after an unapproved hood louver was found installed on the car during pre-race inspection at Phoenix. As a result, the team was docked 100 driver and owner points and 10 playoff points. In addition, crew chief Cliff Daniels was suspended for four races and fined 100,000. On March 29, the National Motorsports Appeals Panel amended the penalty, upholding the fine and Daniels' suspension, but the No. 5 team has restored the owner, driver, and playoff points.
Larson scored his first win of the season and his 20th career Cup Series win at Richmond. At Martinsville, Larson scored his 21st career Cup Series win and it was also the first win for the No. 5 car at that track since 1984. In the All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway, Larson scored his third career All-Star win, tying Dale Earnhardt and Jeff Gordon as a three-time All-Star winner and the only driver to win the All-Star race at 3 different race tracks (Charlotte, Texas & North Wilkesboro).
In the first round of the playoffs, Larson scored his third win of the season at Darlington to clinch a spot into the Round of 12. It is also the 500th overall win by Hendrick Motorsports' engine department.
In the Round of 8, Larson scored his 4th win of the season at Las Vegas after holding off Christopher Bell to make the Championship 4.
Dirt track racing
Larson owned a World of Outlaws sprint car team named Kyle Larson Racing, that fielded a car for Carson Macedo. He acquired full ownership of the team, formerly named Larson Marks Racing after the 2017 season. The team closed following the 2020 season due to COVID-19 pandemic and other issues. He drives for his own team (midgets) and Paul Silva (winged sprint car) on a limited schedule.
On January 18, 2020, Larson won his first ever Chili Bowl after holding off 3-time Chili Bowl winner Christopher Bell. After his suspension and subsequent reinstatement to the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series, Larson will race in the series beginning in the spring. His first race was on May 8 at the Knoxville Raceway where he finished 10th. Two weeks later at Federated Auto Parts Raceway, Larson set a qualifying lap time of 9.995 seconds, the first sub-ten-second time in track history. After finishing second to brother-in-law Brad Sweet in the Friday feature, he held off Brent Marks and Sweet in the Saturday event to score his first World of Outlaws victory since his NASCAR suspension.
Larson joined the USAC series for the 2020 Indiana Midget Week in June. He went on to win in all six races in the Hoosier state and won the title. Larson continued to win in nine straight sprint car features. On June 25, 2020, Larson will compete for the full Pennsylvania Speedweek for 410 Sprint cars. He won the event at Grandview Speedway on Tuesday night after passing Freddie Rahmer with 2 laps remaining. Larson picked up his second win of the week on Thursday after leading the entire race at Hagerstown. On Friday, Larson won the Mitch Smith Memorial at Williams Grove Speedway and his 17th win of the 2020 season. The following night, he won again at the final event at Port Royal. Larson won the PA Speedweek title with four wins and three podiums. Larson competed in the All Star Circuit of Champions sprint cars at Knoxville Raceway where he set a series record and won his seventh consecutive race. Following the 2020 season, Larson was named the 410 Sprint Car Driver of the Year.
Following a test at Cherokee Speedway on August 2020, Larson announced he would be making his debut in a dirt late model at Port Royal Speedway in the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series for owner Kevin Rumley. After a fifth-place finish in the first night of the event, Larson led flag-to-flag in the second night's race to win in his second-ever dirt late model start. On October 18, 2020, he won the USAC Silver Crown Series finale at the Springfield Mile to take his 42nd feature win of the season. Later in the year, he competed in the Dirt Track World Championship at Portsmouth Raceway Park where he finished 30th. On October 27, it was announced that Larson will make his World of Outlaws Late Model Series debut at Charlotte. He raced the final two races of the season at The Dirt Track at Charlotte Motor Speedway where he set a new track record in qualifying and posted a best finish of eighth.
Following his reinstatement by NASCAR and signing with Hendrick Motorsports in October 2020, Larson noted in an interview with The Dale Jr. Download that he would be permitted to continue dirt racing in addition to the Cup Series provided the latter be his primary commitment.
On January 16, 2021, Larson won his second consecutive Chili Bowl Nationals over Justin Grant and Tanner Thorson. On January 21, it was announced that Larson will race in the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series' Winternationals for dirt late models. He won the season-opening at All-Tech Raceway. Larson won the third annual BC39 race against 74 USAC National Midgets in the dirt track at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Larson won the Knoxville Nationals twice in 2021 & 2023, becoming just the 8th multi-time winner of the event.
Other racing
On January 4, 2014, Chip Ganassi Racing announced that Larson would enter the 24 Hours of Daytona in the No. 02 car alongside Scott Dixon, Tony Kanaan and Marino Franchitti. During the press conference, Larson stated, "You grow up watching the NASCAR guys then you're like, ‘wow’ when you meet them. And then watching the guys in different series there's a 'wow' factor to meeting them and working with them." In his Rolex 24 debut, Larson's car stalled and received a speeding penalty, but finished his stint with a fifth-place finish.
Larson returned in the No. 02 Ford Daytona Prototype for the 2015 event along with Chip Ganassi Racing teammates from IndyCar Scott Dixon and Tony Kanaan and NASCAR Jamie McMurray. The team ultimately won the race.
In 2016, Larson once again returned for the 24 Hours of Daytona in the Ford EcoBoost Daytona Prototype for Chip Ganassi Racing. The team consisted of the same drivers from the 2015 winning car but ran into issues with brake failures plaguing the team throughout the race.
On January 12, 2023, it was announced that Larson will attempt to run the 2024 Indianapolis 500 for Arrow McLaren and would become the fifth driver to attempt the Double.
In popular media
Larson made a cameo appearance as a limo driver in the 2017 film Logan Lucky.
Personal life
Larson's mother is Japanese American and her parents spent time in a Japanese internment camp. Larson's wife is Katelyn Sweet, the sister of World Of Outlaw sprint driver and NASCAR driver Brad Sweet. Larson announced on June 13, 2014 that he and his girlfriend were expecting their first child. On July 16, Larson announced that the baby was a boy. Owen Miyata Larson was born on December 22, 2014. On November 8, 2017, Larson announced on social media that he and Katelyn were expecting a second child, due in May 2018. Audrey Layne Larson was born in 2018. On December 22, 2017, Larson and Sweet became engaged, and they were married on September 26, 2018. On December 31, 2022, Larson and Katelyn’s third child Cooper Donald Larson was born.
Motorsports career results
Career summary
Season still in progress.
Ineligible for series points.
NASCAR
(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led. ** – All laps led.)
Cup Series
Daytona 500
Xfinity Series
Season still in progress
Ineligible for series points
Craftsman Truck Series
Season still in progress
Ineligible for series points
ARCA Menards Series East
ARCA Menards Series West
ARCA Menards Series
(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)
Complete WeatherTech SportsCar Championship results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
24 Hours of Daytona
References
External links
Living people
1992 births
Sportspeople from Elk Grove, California
Racing drivers from California
NASCAR drivers
NASCAR Cup Series champions
American sportspeople of Japanese descent
24 Hours of Daytona drivers
WeatherTech SportsCar Championship drivers
World of Outlaws drivers
NASCAR controversies
Video game controversies
Chip Ganassi Racing drivers
Hendrick Motorsports drivers
USAC Silver Crown Series drivers
NASCAR Cup Series regular season champions
JR Motorsports drivers